Girls from low-income families in Britain are missing school because of their periods

They were contacted by teachers less than a month ago after discovering some girls are missing up to a week’s schooling every month because they cannot afford protection.

One teenager told the BBC Radio Leeds of her attempts to keep going to school despite being unable to afford adequate protection.

She said: "I wrapped a sock around my underwear just to stop the bleeding, because I didn't want to get shouted at. And I wrapped a whole tissue roll around my underwear, just to keep my underwear dry until I got home. I once Sellotaped tissue to my underwear. I didn't know what else to do.

A charity which provides sanitary products to girls and women in Kenya is now doing the same in Leeds

She added: "I kept this secret up until I was 14 years old and then I started asking for help.

"I didn't get any money because my mum was a single parent and she had five mouths to feed, so there wasn't much leftover money in the pot to be giving to us."

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Another teenager said: “When I was on my period I started taking time off school, that made my attendance really low and I was getting in trouble.

“One day one of the teachers came to my house and asked why I’m not at school. She was amazing, she helped me through everything. She explained loads to me that I didn’t understand, I didn’t want to speak to anyone about it.”

Tina Leslie, project coordinator at Freedom4Girls, said the charity has to assess whether it now needs to target British girls alongside the thousands of teenagers it has helped in Kenya by providing £5 washable pads that last for up to three years.

She said: “We’re working across the schools to see how many girls are in need, because we know there’s a problem and it’s the tip of the iceberg. We knew it was happening with homeless women, but it’s also affecting young girls.”

She believes stigma still surrounds menstruation especially among younger girls just starting puberty. She said: “What we’ve heard about is just the tip of the iceberg, I’m sure."

Campaigners are now urging the government to consider providing sanitary pads on prescription to girls from low-income families who qualify for free school meals through the pupil premium.

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